It's a trial ... your civic duty v family income

When Peter Llewellyn received a letter summoning him for jury service, he felt divided. He wanted to do his civic duty, but was concerned over how it would affect his family's income.

Llewellyn is self-employed, and therefore will not be earning money while serving on a jury. People in his position can claim a loss of earnings allowance from the court, but there is a cap which may fall below normal income and leave them out of pocket.

The maximum financial loss allowance anyone can claim in the first 10 days of service - the majority of jurors do not serve longer - is £30.64 a day for up to, and including, four hours, or £61.28 a day if serving more than four hours a day. This amounts to weekly pay of £153.20 and £306.40 respectively - well below the average wage of £471.90 for full-time adult workers.

Llewellyn, a human resources consultant from west London, says: "I am used to charging my services at anywhere from £300 to £800 per day, depending upon the complexity of the assignment. So having to turn away work (in order to do jury service) and hope to get a maximum of £61.28 for a full day's civic duty isn't great."

What rubs salt in his financial wound is that Llewellyn's jury service will be his second stint in four years, and his third overall. You do have the right to be excused jury service if you have served, or attended to serve, during the previous two years. But receiving a second jury summons more than two years after your first does not give you grounds for being excused.

Not that Llewellyn would feel comfortable looking for a way out. "I am a passionate believer in the jury system," he says. "But I must admit that it's hard on the self-employed and anyone trying to build a small business."

A spokesperson for Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) says: "The government is committed to encouraging the widest possible participation and does not wish to cause hardship to those summoned to serve on a jury. However, the government also has a duty to spend public money carefully and to take account of competing public interests - hence the current limit on loss of earnings and allowances."

Around 200,000 people are selected at random by computer from the electoral register each year. Everyone on the register, from 18 to 70, may be selected and while some are never called, others get called more than once. The only factors which automatically exclude people are if they suffer from mental illness or disability, or have a criminal record or are on bail pending criminal proceedings.

The normal expectation, emphasised strongly by HMCS, is that everyone summoned for jury service will serve at the time for which they are summoned. Whatever apocryphal tales you hear about people getting off the hook, it is hard without a very good reason. Even celebrities can't escape. Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Brad Pitt are among the A-listers that have been called in the last year or two, and have had to turn up, though some succeeded in not being picked.

Employers must allow you the time off - but they are not legally obliged to pay you. However, Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, says: "It's unlikely employers will want to deduct pay while an employee is on the standard two-week jury service, especially as individuals have little chance to say 'no'."

Jurors can claim three types of allowances: travel costs; a subsistence rate to cover food and drinks; and "financial loss allowance" covering loss of earnings, benefits or other expenses, such as fees paid for childcare.

To claim loss of earnings, you need to get your company or organisation to fill out a certificate, while self-employed people will need a letter from their accountant stating average weekly earnings or some equivalent proof of loss. If you are in receipt of Jobseekers' Allowance, you can continue to claim for up to eight weeks.

There are limits on the amounts but provided the daily maximum is not exceeded, you may claim for more than one type of loss. For example, if you were claiming loss of earnings and childcare, the total of both must not exceed the maximum.

All claims for travel expenses must be supported by receipts. If travelling by car, you can claim for mileage at a public transport rate. Where the use of a car would result in a substantial saving of time, or where other means of transport are impractical, a standard (higher) rate mileage should be paid. This also applies where there are no viable public transport links.

With the court's permission prior to travel, you may be able to claim parking charges, or for a taxi or minicab - but only if no public transport is available or if you have mobility issues.